November Whiskies of the Month
Who’s to say you should limit celebrations of St Andrew to November 30th? Grab a glass and join us in celebrating Scotland’s patron saint all month long. St Andrew was not a Scot himself, nor did he ever visit Scotland. Yet his symbol, the saltire, is raised on flagpoles around the country, and Scotland’s oldest university is named in his honour. Let’s explore the legendary tales that connect St Andrew to Scotland’s history, people, and culture.
Lowland - Kingsbarns Doocot
Kingsbarns Distillery sits only a short drive from the town of St Andrews and was opened partly to offer distillery visits to curious tourists near the town’s famous golfing links. Recognising this connection, the distillery was opened on St Andrew’s Day in 2014 by the Wemyss family. Wemyss, derived from the Scottish Gaelic word for cave, ‘uamh’, is also the name of a heritage site of caves along the Fife coast. The Wemyss Caves are home to the largest collection of Pictish carvings. The Picts were medieval people in the Northeast and East of Scotland, named Picti, or painted ones, by the Romans.
One legendary tale links a ninth-century Pictish King to St Andrew, forever entangling the stories of Scotland and its patron saint. The night before facing a force of Saxons at Athelstaneford, St Andrew visited Pictish King Angus in a dream, promising him success in the conflict. Moments before battle, an X-shaped cross, the symbol of St Andrew, appeared in the sky. King Angus, emboldened by St Andrew’s message, led the Pictish soldiers to victory. The saltire has been a significant symbol in Scotland since this day.
The Doocot is Kingsbarn’s core expression, designed masterfully by Wemyss Malts Production Director, Isabella Wemyss. It is 90% ex-bourbon cask matured and 10% STR (Shaved, Toasted, and Re-charred) Portuguese red wine cask matured. This whisky is light, sweet, and fruity, boasting notes of candied pineapple, zesty citrus, and sweet brown sugar.
Highland - Edradour Caledonia 12
Founded in 1825, Edradour Distillery prides itself on its traditional methods and charming small size. The Caledonia is a small-batch bottled whisky, celebrating the song of the same name by Scottish singer-songwriter, Dougie MacLean. Caledonia was the name given to modern-day Scotland in the Roman era. It is the saltire, or Scottish flag, displayed proudly on this whisky bottle that has earned Edradour a spot on our list.
The St Andrew’s cross mentioned in the story of King Angus and the Picts is the basis for the Scottish flag today. Some say the bright blue of the background represents the sky and the white of the cross symbolises the clouds seen by King Angus. The saltire of Scotland is believed to be one of the oldest continuously used state flags worldwide. The saltire became St Andrew’s symbol in 60 AD when he was crucified on an X-shaped cross. Feeling unworthy of the standard cross, as to differentiate himself from Jesus, Andrew requested the X-shaped cross. You can’t get much more Scottish than a saltire, and we have St Andrew to thank for the iconic symbol.
The Edradour Caledonia has been fully matured in Oloroso sherry casks, giving it a rich and sweet character with notes of sultanas, syrup, and spices. This whisky pairs perfectly with MacLean’s ‘Caledonia’ and a story or two about Scotland’s rich history.
Speyside - Speyburn Rum Cask
Speyside Distillery proudly draws its water from the beautiful Granty Burn since its opening in 1897. The freshwater burn is teeming with salmon and trout, also making it perfect for fishing, a popular sport along the stunning Speyside rivers. In fact, a modified cast called the Spey cast was designed to minimise back cast, essential for fishing along the tree-linked banks of the Spey River. Speyburn’s logo is a leaping salmon to highlight the connection between the Spey and its importance for distilling.
St Andrew was a fisherman, along with his brother Simon Peter. He was called by Jesus to follow him and become a fisher of men. The Speyburn Rum Cask edition was selected due to its further connections to this patron saint. St Andrew is also the patron saint of Barbados, a country known for its rum production.
The Speyburn Rum Cask has been aged in bourbon casks and was finished in rum casks, giving the spirit notes of tropical fruits and a honeyed sweetness. This whisky is perfect for any occasion, whether out fishing on the Spey, relaxing on a beach in Barbados, or anywhere in between.
Islay - Smokehead Unfiltered
Smokehead is an independently bottled Islay single malt. The Smokehead team members portray themselves as rebels and disrupters, not dissimilar to Andrew in his day. Andrew’s preachings were radical enough to lead to his crucifixion, ordered by Roman governor, Aegeas in 60 AD. Smokehead whisky is named for the fans of the intensely smoky whisky, often produced on the Scottish island of Islay. The design of the bottle is a nod to its ferocity, with a skull depicted on each bottle. Not much is known about the skull of St Andrew, but there is one legend involving some of his other bones.
A fourth-century monk, the future St Regulus, was visited in a dream by an angel and given a mission. He was to take the remains of St Andrew from Patras, Greece to the ends of the earth and build a shrine at this location. Regulus set off with a kneecap, upper arm bone, tooth, and three fingers from the right hand of St Andrew. Sailing in stormy conditions, he crashed his boat on the coast of Fife in the settlement of Kilrymont and created a shrine to Andrew at the site of today’s St Andrews Cathedral. This is how the town of St Andrews received its name, and some believe that these saintly bones are currently housed in the St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in Edinburgh.
Smokehead Unfiltered is a fierce whisky. Bottled at 46%, this spirit boasts flavours of dark chocolate, walnuts, and, of course, thick and earthy smoke.
Blend - The Gualdrons
The Gualdrons is a Campbeltown blended malt, one of Douglas Laing’s Remarkable Regional Malts. A blended malt is a mixture of single malt whiskies from multiple distilleries. In this case, from the three-distillery region of Campbeltown, located on the Mull of Kintyre. The Gualdrons, meaning Bay of Storms, was named for the dark and stormy caves and coves around Campbeltown.
Some say that after a devastating defeat by English enemies, Scottish hero, Robert the Bruce, hid in one of those very caves. Feeling dejected, Robert watched a resilient spider struggle to build a web and continue in its endeavour again and again. After countless failures, the spider successfully wove its web. Bruce was inspired to persevere and, although well outnumbered, he defeated his English enemies at the Battle of Bannockburn in pursuit of Scottish independence. This legendary spider and its web are featured in the design on the bottle of Gualdrons.
Despite England’s defeat, they refused to recognise Scotland as a sovereign nation. In the Declaration of Arbroath, the Scottish nobility appealed to the Pope to acknowledge their independence under the leadership of Robert the Bruce. St Andrew was mentioned in their plea, regarded as the patron saint of Scotland forever. This was not the first mention of St Andrew’s importance in Scotland; the construction of St Andrews Cathedral, the largest church in Scotland, began in 1160 and the finished building was dedicated in 1318 in the presence of Robert the Bruce.
With notes of light smoke and salty sea air, Gualdrons transports its drinker to those legendary caves which sheltered Robert the Bruce and the spider.
Luxury - Eden Mill Art of St Andrews 2024
The town of St Andrews attracts visitors from around the world due to its famous cathedral, university, and golfing links, all dating back to at least the 16th century. However, since the release of Eden Mill’s first whisky in 2018, this little town has yet another reason for a spot on the map.
The town of St Andrews hosts an annual St Andrew’s Day celebration called the Big Hoolie. This year, the festivities will be held on Saturday 29th of November and will include a local makers market, ceilidh dancing throughout the street, and a torchlit procession to the beach for a fireworks display. Celebrating the patron saint in the town of St Andrews is truly an incredible experience, but this isn’t the only way to celebrate St Andrew’s Day. Why don’t you pour yourself one of these six drams or join us for a themed tasting hosted daily at the Scotch Whisky Experience?
The Art of St Andrews is a whisky released annually by Eden Mill. Each year, the distillery partners with a different local artist to design and create the artwork for the box. For the 2024 release, Babs Pease designed a landscape of St Andrews with views of the town’s harbour and cathedral. The whisky was matured in Amarone and sherry casks and finished in first-fill Amarone red wine casks from Verona. This is a bold whisky boasting rich notes of figs, cherries, raisins, and almonds.